Craftsman model 103.23140 question

[DuvalJagTom]

Good afternoon,
I found your forum site while I was looking for info on a drill press my father left me, and gets used quite a bit.
It is fairly complete except for the quill lock nut opposite the lock handle has been replaced , and I had to replace one of the motor adjustment screws which had the head broken off.
My question is what do you do if the motor goes bad? This one is the original and still works, but for how long?
Thanks for any info you might have.

 

[Roberts210]

You rebuild it son! Generally motors "go bad" when the bearings get dry and wear out. It is easy to pull the end bells and replace the bearings with shiny new ones. While you are in there you can also take a look at the centrifigal switch and clean up the contacts. You can even Glyptol the windings if you are adventuresome. If you get stuck just ask here--somebody will post what to do. Good luck, and post some pictures of that C-man.

 

[11b30b4]

DuvalJagTom, welcome to the forum. Your 103.23140 drill press was a Craftsman King Seeley 100 series 15 ½” Drill Press produced between 1946 and 1955. I would need the motor model number to provide more information and it is likely the date code on the motor will narrow down what year your drill press is. Most likely, you have a ½” HP 1725 or 1750 rpm CS motor model 115.6962. If this is the case, most of these motors will run strong for another 50+ years. Typically, the only thing that goes bad in these motors are the sardine can capacitors and the ball bearings. The capacitors are no longer made so we must get creative in modifying the motor base to accommodate the newer round capacitors. The bearings are not an issue, you can order replacements from Accurate Bearing Company or simply clean and repack the original bearings. There are some threads and videos I recommend for you.

First the general go-to threads for Craftsman Drill Presses are:

Craftsman Drill Press

Chuck Speed Calculator Links to Drill Press Pages in Craftsman Catalogs Spindle Pulleys - Another bearing option for worn pulley shafts MSA Round Wire Rings Tilt Table & Taper Pins Vari-Slo Belt Replacements Vari-Slo Diagnosis 1 Vari-Slo Diagnosis 2 Chuck Pin Spanner

www.garagejournal.com

Craftsman Drill Press Information Belts, Bearings, Chucks, Keys, etc…1946-1984

Welcome to the newly Updated (May 2023) Craftsman Drill Press “go to thread”. If you have one of these types of drill presses, this thread is for you. Bookmark, subscribe, whatever; so that you can find it when you need it. This thread is primarily targeted at new owners of vintage Craftsman...

www.garagejournal.com

This is my General Purpose Craftsman Motor thread:

The Vintage Craftsman GP Motor Thread

I was requested to outline some of my comparison information about Vintage Craftsman General Purpose Motors by a fellow GJ member. Most of this information was available on the forum prior to the 2021 forum update but has been lost or difficult to locate ever since. I am not an electrician and...

www.garagejournal.com

This is a series of videos I made for rebuilding a 100 series drill press:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfmzf8SKnxXmpbegfq2WOqu2OKcZg7GLb&si=Yufvm5PodgkUrKj9

When you have an opportunity, post some pics of your drill press and post a pic of the motor data panel.

Jeff

 

[DuvalJagTom]

You rebuild it son! Generally motors "go bad" when the bearings get dry and wear out. It is easy to pull the end bells and replace the bearings with shiny new ones. While you are in there you can also take a look at the centrifigal switch and clean up the contacts. You can even Glyptol the windings if you are adventuresome. If you get stuck just ask here--somebody will post what to do. Good luck, and post some pictures of that C-man.

Thank you for this! I was afraid you would say "you repair it". I am not much at electrical stuff, but maybe if I had pictures it might be doable. Here are some pics.

 

[FrankLee]

Your machine is a very early model; earlier than 1950 and likely closer to '46. What is the date code on the motor badge?

It is easy(?) to refurbish these motors, but you'll need to be aware of a few things. Know-how is probably the most important. Jeff's video series will be a huge help.

You'll definitely need a puller to remove the terminal side end cap and the fan side bearing.

The insulation on the original internal wiring will be very brittle, so plan on replacing some with splicing and soldering. You'll definitely want to replace the power cord with a three-prong grounded cord.

New bearings are probably a good idea. I've refurb'd dozens of these motors and don't recall ever buying new bearings. I clean the originals in a sonic cleaner and assess them for wear.

Below is a link to photos of my most recent refurb of the common 115.6962 motor found on these drill presses.

Amazon Photos

 

[gatewaysysop]

If you really don't want to get too far into the motor, you'd be surprised how much improvement you can get just repacking the bearings in place, without removing them. I've done this on probably four of these motors now, and it was a night and day improvement. I've yet to find one (at least here in AZ) where I needed anything else to get them running smooth and quiet. I'd tear it apart if I had to, but having seen how well this works, it's my usual go-to unless there's something else wrong with the motor that requires a bigger tear down.

Longevity wise, I suspect that barring a capacitor issue, these bad boys will all outlive me by a significant margin.

 

[DuvalJagTom]

Your machine is a very early model; earlier than 1950 and likely closer to '46. What is the date code on the motor badge?

It is easy(?) to refurbish these motors, but you'll need to be aware of a few things. Know-how is probably the most important. Jeff's video series will be a huge help.

You'll definitely need a puller to remove the terminal side end cap and the fan side bearing.

The insulation on the original internal wiring will be very brittle, so plan on replacing some with splicing and soldering. You'll definitely want to replace the power cord with a three-prong grounded cord.

New bearings are probably a good idea. I've refurb'd dozens of these motors and don't recall ever buying new bearings. I clean the originals in a sonic cleaner and assess them for wear.

Below is a link to photos of my most recent refurb of the common 115.6962 motor found on these drill presses.

Amazon Photos

Hello,
These are on the badge, hope they help.
Pullers aren't a problem, got plenty of those from being under cars more than in them when I was young.
Model 115 6962
Type CNBK8
Sears Robuck M1 18

 

[FrankLee]

M1 18

Check that M1 18 again. I believe that would be M1 48, i.e., December 1948.

H3 50 would be August, 1950.
A = January
B = Feb
.
.
H = Aug
J = Sep
.
.
M = Dec

I've never seen one and believe they skipped " i ".

 

[DuvalJagTom]

Check that M1 18 again. I believe that would be M1 48, i.e., December 1948.

You are correct! Its barely visible but it is M1 48! More than 3 years older than me! Cool beans.